Londoner James Mathé, aka Barbarossa, has chosen to weave a straighter path on his latest than on his second release.
Gone are the soaring organs and uplifting motifs that made 2013’s Bloodlines such a gloriously winding, warm, lush affair; most tracks here are monotone and bereft of those poignant moments. To say songs like Solid Soul, Muted and Settle render the album a tad cold is too harsh, though the monotonous buzz of the latter is frequent throughout, so it’s not such a stretch. While there are catchy moments and electro wizardry, it doesn’t have the colour needed.
